The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-06-09
GERMAN CITIES.
A VISIT TO PLEASANT GOTTA.
EISNACH.
The Watburg, Founded by Lewis the
SPrlnser...Lnther's Room. Throwing
Bottle at the Devil.


Sprinser.--Lnther'sR Room. Throwing
Bottle at the Devil.
Especial Cor. STATE CHRoNICLE]
NUMBER FOUR.
l am afraid my account of our visit to
Thuringia is becoming tediously long; so l
Will quicken my pace and, to day, bring
this series of letters to close To do this
VIII be obliged to entirely omit the rec
ord of very pleasant trip which we made
to the village of Emleben, and my descrip
ton OF GOtha must be very brief in order
to do anything like justice to Eisenach and
the Wartburg
of SAKE Coburg Gotha, with thirty thou
sand inhabitants, is pretty town with
attractive suburbs. 1t is especially noted
as being the centre of the fire insurance
business of Germany, and one the princi-
pal banking places. The city differs radi-
cally from other German towns in having
its houses detached and surrounded by
gardens. The ducal palace and orange
garden present an attractive appearance,
and the library of 600, 900 volumes in the
Frledenstein Palace is, no doubt, worthy
Of examination. The museum, also, con-
tains some fine paintings and very inter
esting collections of jewels and antiqui-
ties. Being by this time, however, very
AuuSly, a SOOu UtAUlc u uOLc dL luo
''Stadt Coburg" presented far greater at
fractions to the Doctor and me than all the
sights of the city-not even excepting the
Gre matorium in the new cemetery, or the
observatory which is one of the most IA
nous in Europe.
Accordingly we disposed of the dinner
and bottle of red Rhine wine, and then
started on our pilgrimage to Eisenach,
where we arrived an hour later. Eisenach
is pleasant town with twenty thousand
inhabitants. 1t was once the residence of
the dukes of -Eisenach, but since the
extinction of that family in 1741, it has
belonged to Weimar. Entering the town
from the railway station the street is
spanned by the tower of st. Nicholas, a
fine ROmanesque structure in good state
of preservation. In front of the Georg-
kirche in the platz stands an imposing
bronze statue of Johann Sebastian Bach,
the great composer, who was born here in
1885. Fritz Reuter-, the celebrated Low
German poet, was, also, a resident of the
town. But the chief point of attraction
of which the town boasts is the castle of
Wartburg where Luther, the German re-
former, translated the bible into his moth
or tongue.
The Wartburg, which stands on hill
six-hundred feet above the town, was
founded by Lewis the Springer, Landgrave
of Thuringia, who won his title of ''the
Springer" by leaping into the Saale from
a window in the Schloss Giebichenstein
near Halle, where he had been confined as
prisoner. The Wartburg is considered one
of the finest specimens of the Romanesque
style of architecture now in existence. 1t
has since 1S47 been carefully restored to
its original shape, and now gives correct
idea Of what the castle WAS raa1lv lilo in
the eleventh and twelfth centuries. From
Eisenach the ascent was always steep and
often precipitous; and as the weather was
extremely warm, We found the exercise
very violent, especially as we had our
heavy winter OveroOatS with US. An Oc-
casional pause, however, with glance
down upon the panorama which lay eX
tended beneath us, gave fresh vigor to our
endeavors and we at length succeeded in
reaching the summit, tired and out of
breath. The view from the castle walls is
beautiful, and in the Summer, it must be
exquisite. On every side deep valley,
dotted with bright red roofs, dwindles
away into the distance. The hills to the
growth of frs and deciduOus trees which,
| was informed, is the beginning of the
great Thuringian forest.
After waiting a few minutes a guide
| made his appearance prepared to conduct
party through the buildings. The Doc
tor and !, accordingly lost no time in join
ing their number and we were soon listen
ing to the guides melancholy, sing song
description of series of frescoes repre-
senting scenes in the life of st. Elizabeth
who, as landgravine of Thuringia resided
here with her husband in the thirteenth
century. One of these frescoes represents
~, of 1.o
| part in the crusades, while the next shows
| st. Elizabeth being driven with her chill
dren from the castle by cruel brot her in
| law who has seized the castle during his
| brothers absence. The chapel is small
| low-roofed room which derives its fame
| from the fact that Luther often preached
| from its pulpit.
The Sanger Saal," or singers hail. is a
beautiful and very interesting room on
the second floor Here the "Minne Sing
ers,' or troubadours, of Germany are said
| to have assembled each year for the
''Sanger- -krieg," or musical contest; and
the room plays part in Wagner's cele
brated opera "Tannhauser. Here, OIL
one occasion-as is represented in a paint
ing on the wall-the seven greatest min
strels of Germany assemblies for a contest
of skill The penalty for being decided
the worst musician of the seven was in
stand death; and the executioner stood by
as each musician in turn mounted the
platform and sung his song of love ant
chivalry. The one who was judged to bt
the worst musician promptly fell on hi.
knees, however, before st. Elizabeth and
was graciously pardoned by her. From
this incident it appears that, after all, the
ancients were sensible lot of barbarians
They killed their worst musicians and thu.
avoided being obliged to hear them prac
tice.
The most interesting part of the Wart
burg is Luther's room, bare, unadorned
dungeon-like rooms where the reforme
lived for year in disguise. Upon his re
turn from the diet of Worms, Luther wa
intercepted by his friend the Elector Fred
erick the Wise and brought here to Wart
burg, disguised as an attendant under tn
name of "Junker Georg," in order to pro
tect him from the rage Of the followers o
the Pope. The furniture of the room
just what it was three hundred years ago
Through a single window the light shine
in upon plain table at which Luthe
tediously worked at his translation of tn
bible from the 4th of May, 1921, to tn
9th of March, 1922. Over the table is
small bookcase in which the great reform
er kept his valuable manuscripts. o.
either side of this is an autograph letter